


I’ll Protect You

by SleepPlz



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pure boy vector because I think so, Shark is big brother to everyone, Smut, dom yuma, everyone is very cute and lovely, its mostly cute stuff and some smut, pure boy Yuma, sub vector
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:42:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepPlz/pseuds/SleepPlz
Summary: Life after being revived sucks in Vector’s eloquent opinion. Even more so when everyone around stops fearing him like the demon he is and instead treats him like a stray cat. He’s intimidating dammit! He doesn’t need anyone to protect him!(Yuma disagrees heavily with the last statement)
Relationships: Tsukumo Yuuma/Vector
Comments: 11
Kudos: 19





	1. Finding him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy just watched Zexal again and I am obsessed with Vector ;-; 
> 
> Also remember that line that said because Vector had such a pure heart he became an evil villain? No? Me either but when I saw it again during the last few episodes I went crazy with how to characterize him after he gets revived. So imagine a slightly edgier Rei. A pure boy who you want to tease until they cry :D

“Why don’t you come to school?”

“Hello Yuma. Always a pleasure to see you.” 

Vector lays back on his hands, staring at the sun as it dips under the horizon. Inwardly he curses himself for lingering there for too long. Usually someone comes looking for him to drag him from whatever hell hole he’s in this week. And today it’s Yuma of all people, the most stubborn guy he’s ever met. 

“You should come back. We all miss you.” Yuma insists while walking close to where Vector is sitting. “I miss you.” 

Vector pointedly closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. He tries out a bunch of different excuses in his head before he settles on, “I think it’s for the best if I don’t.” 

“If you don’t…?” Yuma implores but Vector keeps his eyes on the fleeting sunset. 

Yuma takes his silence as an invitation to continue this awkward conversation and sits down next to him. His hand is just shy of overlapping with Vector’s but he can’t focus on that, he had a goal. All the other reformed Barians are attending yet Vector is the only one missing. It’s the worst, knowing that he could have a fun school life with Vector but being able to. It’s why he’s been searching after school for weeks. But now that he’s caught him he doesn’t know what to say, what could he say? What would make Vector want to stay with them? With him? Thinking like that is just gonna get him stuck in a loop. So he does what he always does and acts on impulse rather than intellect. 

“You owe me ya’know.” Is what comes out. 

Vector looks, understandably perplexed by that, and whips his head around to stare at him. He lets out a muttered “Wha..?” And Yuma has to admit Vector looks really cute when he’s confused, like a lost little puppy. 

Repressing the urge to give him all the head pats in the world Yuma continues. 

“I’m the reason you came back to life.” Yuma actually places his hand over Vector’s, delighted at his warmth and the fact that he hadn’t shaken it off yet. “So you owe me… you should come back to us.” 

Vector pouts a bit. 

“It’s not like I asked you to.” He mutters in a soft voice but before Yuma asks him to repeat himself he gives Yuma a reluctant nod. 

“Ok. I’ll go.” The resulting grin makes Vector feel better yet worse about the whole thing. His stomach still churns at the thought of seeing everyone but…

He is alive because of Yuma and Astral. If going to school is all it takes to repay them he has no choice but to do it. Trying to be a good person fucking sucks. Life was a lot simpler when he was being controlled by Don Thousand now he has a thing called a conscious and an insatiable need to make others happy. It’s gross and disgusting and it makes his face turn red. If Yuma notices Vector having a mini meltdown he doesn’t say anything and instead wraps his hand tighter around Vector. The two sit on the grass basking in the last of the sunlight before the sun truly leaves. 

  
  
  
  
  


Alright so Vector lied about coming back to school but that was to be expected wasn't it? C’mon betrayal is his whole thing, it’s what anyone who's heard about him knows him for. Still all of that seems to fly over Yuma’s head because when he finds him again he’s livid. Inside a part of Vector wants to apologize, to try and make things right. That part of him is beaten down by the rest of him and is silenced for the day. The thing is, Yuma is very quiet right now. That oxymoron scares Vector more than he would care to admit. Yelling and crying he can deal with, used to thrive off it even. But silence is worse, Yuma has this heartbroken look in his eyes. Like someone threatened his grandma instead of playing hooky. 

Vector tries to resume window shopping, stretching out his hand to look at a new jacket when a hand firmly grabs his wrist. Despite his best efforts he tenses and his pupils shrink. He’s assaulted with waves of terror as images of ghostly hands try to strangle him, helpless to stop it all he stops breathing, everything goes dark. 

“Vector?” Yuma’s soft voice brings him back, a wave of warm reassurance washes from the base of his skull down his back.

He’s in Heartland city looking through new clothes, he’s not in that palace anymore, Don Thousand is gone. Yuma’s grip relaxes just a touch when he sees Vector mask his pained face with exasperated indifference.

“Yuma~ Can you let go now? I’m looking for something.” He says with a shaky lilt in his voice.

The back of Yuma’s ears warm a bit but he stays resolute, flexing his grip against Vector’s thin wrist, he continues.

“Not until you promise to come to school.” He says it a lot less sternly than he meant to. He was trying to be upset but it was hard when Vector looked so small and uncomfortable right now. He lightly pets his wrist, resolving to figure out the reason behind that later. Right now he needed Vector to come back.

Vector tsks and turns his head.

“Let go I’m not going.” Vector abandons the jacket and turns to walk away, trying to break away from Yuma’s hold.

Yuma doesn’t let go and instead moves along with Vector. He turns to stares incredulously at Yuma, walking a few more steps and seeing Yuma follow him every time. Yuma has an infuriatingly proud and smug look on his face, like he’s cornered his opponent in a duel. Vector stares at the hand gripping his wrist, then up at Yuma’s face and back again. 

“Let. Go.” Vector breathes through his grinded teeth, yanking his wrist towards himself in an effort to get out of Yuma’s hold. 

All it does is pull Yuma closer to him, the tips of their noses brushing past each other. His tiny ass heart might’ve skipped a beat if Yuma didn’t whisper the smuggest “No.” That fucking dumbass. With what is hopefully anger coloring his face red, Vector tries to pry Yuma’s finger off using his other hand. Uncaring how it looks to the other patrons in the store he digs his nails into Yuma’s skin, but to no avail. If he had his claws he could’ve ripped his skin to shreds, now he barely leaves a dent. 

Giving up, Vector resumes window shopping, pretending he doesn’t have an overgrown manchild clinging to him. It seems ignoring Yuma was the right answer because his stupidly proud face is pouting now. Still, there’s only so much judging looks he can handle, and the warmth from Yuma’s hand is starting to burn. Reluctantly he opens his mouth, but gets cut off by Yuma.

“Ok so you don’t have to come to school. But you should move in with Shark so I know where to find you.” Yuma loosens his grip and reaches down to lace his fingers together with Vector’s.

It’s a trap and Vector knows it, this must have been planned. Nasch probably did this, that guy had always been and always will be a giant pain in the ass. He’s been bugging Vector since forever to move into their freakishly large mansion they just so happen to have lying around. But just because everyone else moved in doesn’t mean he had to. 

“Please…” Yuma says with the softest voice. “We don’t want you to disappear.”

Seeing Vector pause Yuma keeps going, rubbing his thumb against the back of his palm. “You don’t have to come to school with us. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Just stay here… with m— us.” 

You should say yes, the pathetic part of Vector says rearing it’s whimpering head. It’ll make everyone happy and you’ll get a place to stay. 

Averting his eyes, Vector mumbles out an okay. Yuma grins brightly and grips his hand tightly, dragging him to the nearest exit. 

“Great let’s go drop off your things _right_ _now_.” 

He must still be mad Vector’s not going to school. With a small smile tugging at his lips Vector walks forward into the blistering hot sunlight. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a normal movie with an added bonus of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I disappeared I was having trouble writing this part. I think it turned out ok? Probably? Next one will be fluffier tho.
> 
> Hope you enjoy <3

Life at the mansion is strange to say the least. Vector was aware that the Kamishiros were loaded but seeing just how many empty rooms they had really sold it for him. There’s also this weird living room area covered in dust. Not to mention a freaking suit of armor laying on the ground like they’re in the Victorian era and not a modern one. Rich people  _ would _ be weird and use suits of armor as decoration. 

“So which room do ya want?” Also Yuma’s here. He insisted on ‘helping’ Vector move in, which would have been nice if it weren’t for the fact that all Vector really had was a few pieces of clothes and his deck. Instead Vector feels like a child being chaperoned by the assistant teacher, at least Yuma stopped holding his hand when they got to the mansion.

“The one at the end of the hall.” He says purely out of spite, just so Yuma will have to carry his messenger bag for a millisecond longer. A millisecond he’ll never get back.

“Great! Now I’ll know which one’s your room!” Yuma cheers with a bright grin. Leave it to Yuma to see the bright side to every little thing. Although it’s concerning that he plans on visiting his room in the first place. 

The room itself was as indifferent and as lifeless as could be. Bare white walls and a grey wood floor. If there was a plant in here it would’ve withered from boredom. Yuma drops the bag on the desk near the window while Vector flops onto the queen sized bed in the corner. 

“So if you’re not going to school… what’re you gonna do now?” 

“I dunno I’ll figure something out.” Vector mumbles against the stiff pillow. 

Yuma side eyes him but seems to concede for today. He recalls the way Vector froze up earlier but decides not to push the issue. At least he actually has a place to stay now. 

“Well I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Let me know if there’s anything I can do!” Yuma places both his hands on the bed and hovers over Vector. 

He can feel the warmth despite Yuma not touching him. Vector grips the sheets lightly with the hand covered by his body. 

“Yeah sure.” Not. Vector doesn’t plan on letting Yuma meddle anymore. Talking like this is fine but anything more is….

  
  
  
  
  
  


Yuma finally leaves once Vector sees him off and now it’s just Vector, the mansion and 6 other barians. Vector turns his head to see 6 pairs of eyes look away from him, as if he didn’t see them hiding behind the corner. 

They all disperse under the guise of setting up his welcoming party. All but one. 

“So you’ve finally decided to live here.” Nasch says as if Vector wanted to be here. 

He’s earned his first point. 

“Yep.” Vector says lingering on the last letter. “Totally came here of my free will. No one dragged me or nagged me in any way whatsoever.” 

Nasch smirks and leans against the doorway. His arms loosely crossed as he gives Vector an unreadable look. 

“Gilag and Rio were contemplating it.” 

No doubt Gilag would’ve, Vector isn’t strong enough to fight back. And even if he did manage to get away Merag would chase him down until the end of the earth. Figures she’d be so persistent considering how stubborn her stupid brother is. 

“Good thing I told them to wait.” Nasch continues like there’s a point to this interaction. 

“Oh~ That’s oddly considerate for you.” Vector says trying to end the conversation. 

He moves to go to the living room when Nasch stretches out his leg, blocking his way to the unnecessary party. 

“I knew you’d come back here.” 

It’s just bait. If he keeps quiet he can move on, go on with his day. But goddammit just the tone of his voice makes him want to scowl. Schooling his expression into indifference he looks back at Nasch’s face. He flinches a bit when he doesn’t see any malice in his expression. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vector bites out. 

“Nothing. Nothing really.” Nasch says in the most cryptic way. 

Last time Vector checked mind games were his forte not Nasch’s. Vector bites down the childish urge to stick his tongue out when Nasch moves out of the way. He does stiffen a bit when an arm hooks around his shoulders to lead him to the dining room. 

“Just enjoy the party, everyone’s been excited about it.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Having dinner with the former Barians is the equivalent of being stuck in a zoo. Each one is a different animal except there’s no cages to protect Vector. As a result he’s had to listen to terrible renditions of some pop idol girl group. Courtesy of Gilag with Alit adding backup vocals. It was cute seeing them so into it but Vector would rather eat his own clone before he admits that. 

Then he got into an argument with Durbe and Mizael when he overheard them discussing what decorations to add to this decrepit place. No, fur carpets are not luxurious, they collect dust and are a pain in the ass to clean. And just because mirrors are cool to look at the first time, they get  _ old _ after a week. Having a room covered in them is creepy, not classy. 

One moment he’s in a petty argument with Mizael and the next he wakes up with his head leaning against Durbe’s shoulder, Mizael’s legs strewn across his lap. It’s still dark out and after squinting at the grandfather clock across the room Vector can see that is 4:17. 

“Oi you up?” Nasch asks while putting a blanket on the passed out Gilag and Alit, who were both drooling on the floor. 

“Mnnm.” Not his most coherent response but he was trying. Mostly. He could feel his body becoming one with the plush couch. His eyelids were falling shut again. 

He faintly registers a soft, sewn blanket draping across his body and a warm hand petting his hair before knocking out. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s only a few days later when they’re all sitting down for a movie marathon that he realizes what’s happened. He’s seated in the center squished between Merag and Alit. The popcorn bowl is on its third rotation around the room and so far, Mizael has only cried twice because the dog died. 

All of sudden Vector’s hit with a sudden need to get out of here and away from them. He’s assimilated with people he’d sworn to interact with only when needed. On his left is a girl he’s killed twice and on his right is a guy he’s beaten up until he was comatose. This is not good. This is really not good. This is wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. All of it is wrong. 

Vector’s already tiptoed out the door before anyone realized, deciding that having a breakdown outside is somehow better than having it inside. The crisp cold air hits his overheated body and fuck, he doesn’t have a jacket. But it’s too late now he has to keep going, the farther he gets away the better off he’ll be. Maybe he should just skip town altogether, he doesn’t always have to stay in this dinky place. 

It’s Yuma’s fault for making him stay there. It’s Nasch’s fault for being so persistent that he stay in that mansion. Gilag was the one who picked that movie and Alit dragged him out of his room and made him sit next to him. It’s all their fault for not leaving him alone. They should’ve stayed away why didn’t they stay away  _ why _ !? Why do they have to come near him!? 

He’s the wild card, the instigator, he should be in his own space doing his own thing. There’s no need to be happy with the people he’s hurt. He can battle the loneliness gnawing at his heart on his own. Yes he knows how stupid it is but he can do it without  _ them.  _ People he’s been with for a lifetime but still know nothing about. 

He’s started making plans to move to the next town over when a cat brushes up against his leg. He’s hyper aware of the coarse fur that warms his calf. And the long tail that tries to wrap around his ankle. It’s a stray cat. It’s a small, stray cat in the narrow alleyway that leads to the plaza. Vector takes a deep breath. He’s in Heartland city. It’s cold, he’s freezing and it’s late at night. The North Star is the only bright light in the sky but it’s quickly covered by a cloud. His breath stutters and his forehead hurts from how hard it hits his knees. 

“Nyah?” That’s not a cats meow that’s a person. 

“Shinge- ah, no Vector nyah?” 

Fuck this. Fuck everything. Fuck this small ass town and it’s overpopulation. He’s been avoiding everyone who’s ever heard of him for months on end with no problem. But suddenly now everyone and their mother wants to know what Vector’s been up to. 

He’s not really sure how to respond to Cathy, they never even looked at each other when he was Rei. And Cathy only cared about being with Yuma and teasing Kotori. So he’s not really expecting her to crouch down next to him and place a cat on his head. Really, what has his life become. Former barian emperor and a former prince, now some loser with a cat licking his ear. Gross it feels like sandpaper, now his ear is itchy. 

“What the fuck Cathy?” He can’t really stop the laughter that bubbles out from him. The cat on his head digs its claws into his shirt to stay balanced on top of him. While the dark haired cat headbutts his shin and continues attacking his ankle with its tail. 

“The cats really wanted to play with you nyah. So you have to play with them nyah~” She says playfully, pulling another stray cat into her lap and pets it. Hesitantly he holds out his hand and barely, just barely brushes his fingers against the back of the cat. The black cat arches into his hand and Vector realizes it’s fur was a lot softer than he thought it was. Also the whiskers from the cat on his head is starting to tickle but Vector stays as still as possible. It’s nose that presses against his cheek is a lot warmer than he thought it’d be.

“That’s Tama, she likes to be high up. But I’m surprised Mako approached you first nyah.” Mako worms his way into the space between Vector's stomach and thigh. His stomach jumped at the unexpected pressure and he had to brace Tama when he sat up again. 

“Mako’s really guarded but for some reason he likes you nyah.” Cathy then hands him some dry cat food to feed them. 

“Do you do this a lot?” Vector asks, cooing at how some of the food got stuck in Mako’s fur. 

“A few times a week I like to check up on them. They usually hang out here in the afternoon and at night” She turns to face Vector, she has a soft look as she sees him looking content and relaxed. “But, what are you doing out here?” 

“Running away?” Vector shrugs, turning as slowly as possible to look at the rim of Cathy's glasses instead of her eyes. 

“Ah.” She says then tilts her head, the cat ears on her head tilting with her. “You sound unsure. Did you give up?” 

“Yeah. I was actually going to hop on a train before you restrained me using cats. How nefarious.” He says with a puffing out his cheeks to hide his smile. 

“Nyahaha! My plan has succeeded.” She says doing a cute pose, balling her hands up into cat paws. 

Vector should go back soon, it hasn’t been that long but there’s sure to be an uproar if he stays out too long. He really should be going soon. Really. He would’ve gone too, but Tama is nuzzling his neck so what can he do but stay there. For the first time in a long while he’s able to smile unguarded. Surrounded by a dozen stray cats and a girl he barely knows, Vector is able to forget about the pain that grips his new human heart. It’s warm, and cozy and it feels right. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


He parts ways with Cathy, with a promise to text her later, and heads down the narrow path to Nasch’s house. When he sees the roof of the house he checks his pockets for his keys before remembering he’s an idiot. An idiot who ran out of the house without his keys or phone. An idiot who can’t call for help, and he’s pretty sure no matter how loud he yells that wouldn’t hear him over the movie. Oh well he’ll just bang on the door until someone hears him.

However when Vector reaches the front door, he finds that it’s unlocked and slightly opened. Weird. He definitely remembers closing the door and it’s supposed to automatically lock itself when it’s closed. Walking through he closes the door with a muted  _ click _ . 

He toes off his shoes in the doorway and walks towards the bathroom to wash off the cat hair. He pauses at the hallway that enters the living room when he hears a distressed murmur. 

“No it hasn’t….. why does that matter….. he didn’t say anything... what’s the point in waiting 24 hours?” 

Vector peers into the living room to see what was going on. Sitting there, hunched over on the couch is Durbe, with his thumb and pointer finger rubbing his closed eyes. Those black square glasses are perched on surprisingly disheveled gray hair. His hand grips his phone tightly before lifelessly tossing it into the coffee table. 

Vector quietly walks over and tries to approach whatever’s bothering Durbe gently. 

“What’s up?” Ok it’s not that gentle but it’s not that harsh either. So there’s no explanation for why Durbe almost snaps his neck to look at him. Or why he lets his glasses fall from their precarious position on his head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :D  
> Next chapter will have a lot of fluffy developments with Vector and Yuma

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment telling me what you liked! <3


End file.
